Sex Better Than Money For Happiness

Sex Better Than Money for Happiness
More Money Doesn't Mean More Sex, but More Sex Can Make You Feel Richer
By Sid Kirchheimer
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

Good news for folks whose bedrooms have more activity than their bank accounts: Research shows that sex is better for your happiness than money.

That's not to say that being financially poor but sexually active is the secret to a happy life. But despite common theory, more money doesn't get you more sex, say "happiness economics" researchers.

After analyzing data on the self-reported levels of sexual activity and happiness of 16,000 people, Dartmouth College economist David Blachflower and Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick in England report that sex "enters so strongly (and) positively in happiness equations" that they estimate increasing intercourse from once a month to once a week is equivalent to the amount of happiness generated by getting an additional $50,000 in income for the average American.

"The evidence we see is that money brings some amounts of happiness, but not as much as what economists might have thought," says Blanchflower. "We had to look to psychologists and realize that other things really matter."

Rich Man, Poor Man: What's the Difference?

Their paper, "Money, Sex, and Happiness: An Empirical Study," recently published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, essentially puts an estimated dollar amount on the happiness level resulting from sex and its trappings.

Despite popular opinion, they find that having more money doesn't mean you get more sex; there's no difference between the frequency of sex and income level. But they do find sex seems to have a greater effect on happiness levels in highly educated -- and presumingly wealthier -- people than on those with lower educational status.

Overall, the happiest folks are those getting the most sex -- married people, who report 30% more between-the-sheets action than single folks. In fact, the economists calculate that a lasting marriage equates to happiness generated by getting an extra $100,000 each year. Divorce, meanwhile, translates to a happiness depletion of $66,000 annually.

Whether that hefty happiness income boost is the result of marital bliss or more sex is up for debate. But their "econometric" calculations confirm what psychologists have long known: People who consider themselves happy are usually richer in sexual activity.

"Many studies confirm that people who are depressed have less sex," says psychologist and sex therapist Robert Hatfield, PhD, of the University of Cincinnati and a spokesman for the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. "Conversely, if you're not depressed -- 'happy,' as some might say -- you're more likely to have more frequent sex."

Does sex lead to happiness, or are happy people just more likely to lead each other to the bedroom? That's still under investigation, but there is evidence that psyche and sex feed off each other.

Male Sweat May Arouse Women

Smell of Male Sweat May Arouse Women
By Linda Lewis | Published 12/13/2007 | Men Health | Unrated

Male sweat contains a compound that appears to boost women's mood, sexual arousal, and stress hormone levels. So says Claire Wyart, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley Olfactory Research Project, and colleagues.

The compound, called androstadienone (AND), "does cause hormonal, as well as physiological and psychological, changes in women," Wyart says in a university news release.

The findings may lead to new treatments for people with hormone problems, Wyart's team writes in The Journal of Neuroscience.

Sniffing Study

Wyart and colleagues studied 21 healthy, heterosexual women (average age: 22).
At the researchers' lab, the women rated their mood and watched a soothing nature video to help them relax before the experiment began.

Next, they sniffed a jar that contained pure AND (which smells "vaguely musky," according to the UC Berkeley news release) or baker's yeast, which doesn't contain AND.

Meanwhile, the researchers monitored the women's blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, skin temperature, and fidgeting.

After sniffing the jar, the women watched five-minute video clips of funny, sad, or erotic content, followed by 10 minutes of videos with emotionally neutral content.
AND's effects are "more pronounced in these emotional contexts," the researchers explain.

Lastly, the women rated their mood, the pleasantness and intensity of the odor in the vial, and their level of sexual arousal. They also provided saliva samples every 15 minutes for the next hour.

Male Sweat Compound

When the women smelled AND, their mood, sexual arousal, and cortisol levels were higher than when they smelled the baker's yeast.

The women rated the smell of AND and baker's yeast comparably. On a scale of 1 to 9, they rated both scents' pleasantness as 2 and intensity as 3.
This is the first study to show women's hormonal response to AND's mere smell, the researchers note.

The results do not mean AND is the only compound in male sweat that affects women.

"Sweat is a complex mixture," Wyart's team writes. "It is possible that many more of the hundreds of molecules in sweat can induce a variety of endocrine [hormone] changes."

Macho Attitude May Not Worsen Men's Health

Macho Attitude May Not Worsen Men's Health
By Linda Lewis | Published 08/20/2007 | Men Health | Unrated

The strong-but-silent type can breathe a loud sigh of relief. New research suggests that "manly" men who withhold their feelings and emotions but not their tough, competitive nature may not be as vulnerable to physical and psychological problems as previously believed.

For long, these macho men were considered to be at higher risk for depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and heart problems than guys who are more open with their emotions. But in a new study, researchers find virtually no connection between psychological distress and traditional stoic, win-at-all costs male behaviors.

"Our results differ not only from popular opinion, but from a number of other research studies - including some that I've done," says study researcher Glenn Good, PhD, a University of Missouri psychologist who has long studied male behavior.

"The general consensus has long been, the more macho you are, the more likely you are to experience psychological distress and other health problems," he tells WebMD. "The going theory is that healthy people experience a wide range of emotions. But when 'manly' men learn to restrict their expression of emotions, or are overly competitive, it produces stress."

Virtually No Connection Found

In his study, which will be published next month in the journal Psychology of Men and Masculinity, Good and colleagues gave five different assessment tests to 260 male undergraduate college students. The tests gauged their opinions about the masculine role, their competitiveness, problem-solving methods and skills, openness in discussing problems and sharing feelings, and other issues. Their likelihood of having a psychological disorder was also assessed.

When the math was completed, Good's team noted that less than 1% of the students' psychological distress could be attributed to behaviors of what he calls the "traditional" masculine role.

"It certainly doesn't coincide with previous research, so it's hard to know what it means," says Good. "It could mean that there is no one right way to be a man. Or it could be the Homer Simpson phenomenon, in which Homer says he's not too worried about his emotions or behavior. But that's not to say that Marge is happy about it."

In previous studies, alpha males have led the pack in certain health problems. The association of a hostile, overly aggressive Type A personality to heart disease is well-documented, and macho men have often been seen as the poster boys for alcohol, tobacco, and drug abuse. "And in other studies, if you put these more traditional guys in experiments to perform a task that a woman does better, their blood pressure shot up because they were so competitive," says Good. "It really angered them that they would lose to a woman."

Anger and Sex

That may be because traditional males hate to lose anything -- especially control, says another researcher who has studied what angers men and women. And her findings, published last year in the same journal as Good's work, may help explain the long history between men's anger-internalizing behavior and health problems.

"When we interviewed men about what makes them angry, the absolute biggie was control," says psychologist Sandra Thomas, PhD, RN, of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

"They need to be in control of their emotions and in control of what's happening around them. And when they're not, they feel very guilty about it. You wouldn't believe the stories we heard about men getting angry because they couldn't fix their computers or cars," she tells WebMD. "By comparison, women's anger stories were almost exclusively about problems they had in their most intimate relationships, the people they love. Men almost never told stories about people they love."

Stress Affects Men's Health More

Stress Affects Men's Health More
By Peter Hill | Published 09/14/2007 | Men Health | Unrated

When it comes to handling life's blows, women may be stronger and better equipped to handle stress than men. New research suggests that stressful events have a bigger impact on men's health than women's.

The study found men who suffered a stressful life event were more likely than women to miss work due to illness in the following months. The researchers say the findings add to a growing body of research that shows stress can have a big impact on later health problems.

Researchers followed nearly 3,000 full-time, healthy municipal employees in Finland and asked them whether or not they had experienced one of the following major life events in the preceding 12 months:

• Death or serious illness of a family member.
• Being a victim of physical, sexual or psychological violence.
• Severe interpersonal conflict, such as divorce.
• Severe financial difficulties caused by job loss or other causes.

They also asked them questions about their mental health and health behaviors, then tracked the number of sick days the workers took in the year that followed to gauge changes in health.

For men, all of the stressful events except interpersonal conflict were significantly associated with an increase in sick days.

Interpersonal problems, financial difficulties, and violence among men were linked to psychological problems, such as anxiety, mental distress, and lack of coherence. Finanacial diificulties and violence were also associated with heightened use of cigarettes and alcohol, which was thought to lead to sick days.

For women, none of these events increased the likelihood of a sick leave. But all events caused increased psychological problems for women. Interpersonal conflicts and financial difficulties also were associated with alcohol abuse among women.

Researcher Mika Kivimaki, PhD, of the department of psychology at the University of Helsinki in Finland, and colleagues say men who reported a stressful event tended to have smaller support networks than women, which might provide a partial explanation for their higher vulnerability.

Men's Sexual Health Needs Often Ignored

Men's Sexual Health Needs Often Ignored
By Peter Hill | Published 10/2/2007 | Men Health | Unrated

We can't agree on what men's sexual health is. We can't agree who's responsible for it. But just hoping it will happen isn't working, a new report concludes.

The study, "In Their Own Right: Addressing the Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of American Men," is the work of the nonprofit Allan Guttmacher Institute. One of the report's authors is David Landry, senior research associate at the institute.

"One of the critical factors is that there is no place for men to go for sexual and reproductive health care," Landry tells WebMD. "Men need to be aware, their partners should be aware, that women don't have to assume responsibility alone."

The problem isn't exactly hidden. In fact, it's often front-page news:

• Record rates of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV
• More teen pregnancies and births in the U.S. than anywhere else in the developed world
• Fathers failing to fulfill their responsibilities as parents
• Continued high divorce rates

What would men's reproductive healthcare look like? Sarah S. Brown, director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, says the report paints a vivid picture.
"It looks like good education in schools; it means reimbursement for counseling and care for men as well as for women; it means training for physicians in men's and women's sexual health issues," Brown tells WebMD.

Providing more reproductive health services to men shouldn't mean cuts in services to women, Landry is quick to point out.

"Clearly women do need special clinical and diagnostic services," he says. "But the principle types of services we are talking about for men are awareness raising and counseling. These are services which tend to be the least expensive to provide. By providing for men we are also doing something good for women."

One focus of the report is on men in their teens and early 20s. Some findings:

• One in four teens are sexually experienced by age 15. Nine out of 10 men have had sex by their 20th birthday.

• Poor and minority youths begin sexual activity at a younger age than more affluent or white teens.

• More often than not, a man will use a condom during his first sexual experience. Later, condom use declines.

• Only 7% of births involve teenage men.

• Each year, 13% of all abortions involve teenage men. More than half of teenage pregnancies involving teenage men result in a birth.

• Men in their 20s are involved in half of all U.S. births -- and half of all U.S. abortions.

• Eight out of 10 children fathered by men in their early 20s are born out of wedlock.

The report also considers the needs of older men:

• Half of all men father a child by the age of 30.

• Eight of 10 men in their 40s are married or living with a woman.
• By age 49, the average man has had two children.

• More than one in 10 men in their 30s has a child he does not live with.

• Eight of 10 U.S. adults with AIDS is a man.

• Half of all men who use condoms do so for birth control, not disease prevention.

"The value of this report is that it takes a life span perspective," Brown says. "What I love is that it addresses the whole life span of men."

So what do men need? The report says men have several unmet needs. The first of these is the need for better information. Parents, doctors, teachers, and community leaders must be involved in ensuring access to essential information. This includes education on:
• Basic sexuality and reproductive health

• Genital health

• Healthy relationships. Topics should include when sexual involvement is appropriate; forms of sexual expression; sexual coercion and violence; and the influence of alcohol and drugs on behavior.

• Pregnancy prevention, including abstinence and condom use

• Prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV

• The responsibilities of fatherhood

• How to obtain other services

Men also need to learn specific skills.

These include skills in preventing pregnancy and disease, and fathering skills.
Men often need counseling. This should include:

• Help developing self-esteem and gaining a sense of control over one's life and one's decisions

• Help getting through major life events and decisions

• Mentoring in developing values and motivation

Men need healthcare.

This should include preventive services beginning prior to adolescence and continuing throughout life. Doctors should follow AMA guidelines in obtaining a sexual history and in testing for sexually transmitted diseases.
"What we call for is a communitywide effort," Landry says. "We need to raise awareness to a broader extent."

Menopause Not Just For Women

Menopause Not Just For Women
By Peter Hill | Published 10/2/2007 | Men Health | Unrated

Have you ever heard, "Don't mind Steven, he's just going through the change of life?" That's right -- "he," not "she." According to some researchers, the idea may not be so far-fetched.

'Male Menopause' Research

The concept of a "male menopause" and the need for hormone replacement therapy as a treatment is still highly controversial, but you wouldn't know that from one doctor's attempt to recruit men for his study. Jerald Bain, MD, set out to find 100 subjects to participate in his study -- 900 volunteered for the chance to get a male hormone pill for what ailed them.

In the end, Bain, who is an endocrinologist at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital and the director of the Health Institute for Men at the King's Health Center in Toronto, was only able to use 30 subjects. His data has now been collected and he is analyzing it. He contends that "there is no basis for the assumption that the male hormone, testosterone, is dangerous."

Andrew Dott, MD, and Anthony Karpas, MD, of the Institute of Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine in Atlanta, contend that about 40% of 40-something men experience these symptoms to some degree:

• lethargy, or fatigue
• depression
• increased irritability
• mood swings
• loss of bone density
• decrease in lean muscle
• increase in fat
• anemia, or low blood levels of iron
• decreased libido
• difficulty in attaining and sustaining erections

They say that these symptoms of "male menopause," also called andropause or viropause, can result from a decreased level of the male hormone testosterone and/or some of these risk factors:

• excessive alcohol consumption
• smoking
• high blood pressure, or hypertension
• prescription drug use
• nonprescription drug use
• poor diet
• lack of exercise
• poor circulation
• psychological problems

Not 'Just Aging' Anymore

According to Bain, until recently, most doctors have considered these symptoms just part of aging and have ignored them. But now, he says, "we're beginning to realize we don't have to accept them all. We can accept the loss of strength, but to have to lie in bed at age 60 because of weakness and fatigue is not something we should accept."
Although men can experience a decline in testosterone levels with increasing age, and despite 150 years of attempts to rejuvenate men with hormone replacements, "male menopause" is still widely ignored. Malcolm Carruthers, a British specialist in men's health with a practice in London, suspects that one reason is historical.

A Questionable Past

The first successful use of hormone replacement was carried out 150 years ago by a German professor named Berthold who transplanted a rooster's testes into another castrated rooster. This procedure prevented the castrated rooster's comb from withering away. That study was followed by numerous other experiments using testicular transplants and extracts.

Testosterone was only isolated and synthesized 60 years ago. However, the oral form can be toxic to the liver and heart, and that, Carruthers says, has "colored the thinking of two generations of physicians."

Another problem associated with the diagnosis of "male menopause" is that only about 13% of men with symptoms have a low total testosterone level. Carruthers and others, however, say doctors need to evaluate the level of free active testosterone, or FAT, rather than total testosterone levels. FAT is obtained by dividing the total plasma testosterone level by that of the sex hormone binding globulin, or SHBG. This turns out to be low in 74% of the men with menopausal symptoms. SHBG increases with age and "zaps" the free testosterone before it can get into the cells to do its job.

Still, Skeptics Abound

Skeptics of andropause still abound. In an article in American Journal of Psychiatry, UCLA psychiatrist H. Sternbach concluded that "testosterone decline/deficiency is not a state strictly analogous to female menopause and may exhibit considerable overlap with primary and other secondary psychiatric disorders."
British urologists N. Burns-Cox and C. Gingell concluded in another medical journal that "the symptoms of the andropause fatigue can readily be explained by stress, and there is no scientifically valid ... study that shows any benefit for testosterone supplements in this uncommon group of patients."

More Research

Carruthers, however, has been following men who have taken testosterone supplements for up to five years, and he has concluded that the supplements cause no negative effects on their hearts, livers, or prostates.

And Dott and Karpas point out that when it comes to diagnosis, doctors should not just evaluate testosterone levels. "Good medical care dictates that a comprehensive medical and psychological assessment along with a thorough laboratory assessment are necessary," they say.

Possibly this debate will be solved once Bain completes his analysis of data comparing men with "menopausal" symptoms on hormone replacement with men receiving placebos. If so, will men rush out to get hormone replacement therapy? Stay tuned!

A Man's Guide To Women's Health

By Richard Luong | Published 09/12/2007

You've seen the cough medicine ads that brag, "recommended by Dr. Mom." No doubt about it -- in most households, Mom still handles the doctors' appointments, prescription refills, and late-night symptoms.

"Women are the health CEOs of the family," says Amy Niles, executive director of the National Women's Health Resource Center, "and it's not easy!" What happens when Dr. Mom or Dr. Wife gets sick? And how does she stay healthy?

There's a lot that today's men should know about the unique health concerns facing the women in their life. Busy women often put the health needs of their husbands, kids, and parents ahead of their own. A caring husband, father, or boyfriend can educate himself, says Niles, to help the woman he loves make time for her own health.

What She's Worried About

Quick -- name some of the diseases and health problems that solely or disproportionately affect women. If you had to stop after "breast cancer," you're probably not alone. Most guys don't realize just how many medical threats home in on women as their primary targets. Among them, in addition to breast cancer:

• cervical, ovarian, and uterine cancers;
• endometriosis (a condition in which pieces of the uterine lining grow outside the uterus, often causing painful periods and bleeding);
• osteoporosis;
• lupus and other autoimmune disorders (they affect women much more frequently than men);
• depression (affects women at two to three times the rate of men);
• multiple sclerosis (affects twice as many women as men); and
• migraine.

What's more, many men -- and women -- aren't aware that heart disease, the leading killer of men, is also the leading killer of women in the U.S., outpacing breast cancer and killing more women than men every year since 1984.

But even conditions like heart disease, which affect both men and women, affect women differently. A woman's heart attack symptoms, for example, may be markedly different from -- and subtler than -- those men are familiar with. Instead of sharp chest pains or pain radiating up the arm, she may notice shortness of breath without chest pain, unexplained fatigue, pain in her back, shoulders, neck, or jaw, or flu-like symptoms of nausea and clamminess.

Prevention Matters

For many of these conditions -- like cancers, heart disease, and osteoporosis -- we know a great deal about the kind of healthy lifestyles that can help to prevent them. But often, "Dr. Mom" is so busy caring for the health of everyone else in the family that she doesn't have time to take care of her own. Support and encouragement (not nagging or criticism) from a husband or boyfriend can provide the incentive, and most important, the time a woman needs to get to checkups, make sure she eats right, and focus on exercise.

Good nutrition, for example, is essential to preventing health problems that trouble women. That means a balanced diet focused on staying healthy, not on getting skinny -- radical diets can lead to other health problems, such as difficulty getting pregnant.

"Some women don't get enough iron in their diet, so they might tend towards anemia," says Judy Norsigian, head of the Boston Women's Health Book Collective, which publishes the renowned Our Bodies, Ourselves. "Other women don't get enough calcium. At a young age, women need to ensure that their calcium intake is sufficient, because we start losing bone density in our thirties and onward."

Exercise -- something else many busy women don't feel they have time for -- goes hand in hand with nutrition as the foundation of a healthy lifestyle. Regular exercise keeps the heart healthy, has a protective role against many cancers -- including breast cancer -- and has been found to alleviate many forms of depression. More specifically, weight-bearing exercise, like walking or running, plays a key role in preventing osteoporosis.

Despite public education, smoking is rising among young women, and studies show women may find it more difficult to quit than men do. If a woman you love smokes, backing up her efforts to quit is the best health gift you can give her--quitting smoking now will reduce her risk of pregnancy complications, early menopause, and many cancers.
It's also vital to help her make time for regular medical checkups and screening tests, such as:

• Pap smear with pelvic exam: The Pap test has been proven to prevent cervical cancer by detecting early cellular changes. It can also detect some infections. A gynecologist usually does a pelvic exam at the same time. Annual Pap smears and pelvic exams should start at age 18 (or when she becomes sexually active, if that's sooner) and continue for the rest of her life.

• Bone density test: This simple, painless test determines the bone mineral density in key regions such as the spine, hip, or wrist, to assess whether a woman's rate of bone loss puts her at risk for osteoporosis. Annual bone density tests are recommended for all women over 65, and for women under 65 with at least one risk factor, like family history or cigarette smoking.

• Breast exam: Controversy surrounds two common screening exams for breast cancer, the mammogram and the monthly breast self-exam, as recent studies have indicated that both examinations don't reduce the rate of death from breast cancer. "That doesn't mean, however, that in a particular situation a woman might not be benefited from having had a mammogram," says Norsigian. Get informed and talk about the issue with your partner.
"Offer the time and the support she needs," says Niles. "Help make sure that just as a woman is giving so much of herself to see that her husband gets to the doctor and her children get to the doctor, she gets to the doctor and doesn't ignore symptoms. Don't forget that she is important too."

Facts About Penis

Facts About Penis and Penis Size
________________________________________

• 85% of all men cannot have intercourse longer than 3 minutes before ejaculating, due to an underdeveloped and weak PC Muscle.

• 30 million men in the USA alone suffer from Erectile Dysfunction (Impotence)

• The majority of men have very poor blood circulation to the penis.

• By age 29, 96% of men cannot gain erections 1/5 as much as when they were 20.

• Over 98% of men would increase penis size if they know how.

• 93% of women have never achieved an orgasm during intercourse, and 76% admit that they are dissatisfied with their partners sexual performance.

• 99% of all men have a weaker, smaller and underdeveloped penis to what they could posses.

Cybersex, Pornography and Addiction

Dr. Marc Kern
Addiction Expert, Director of Addiction Alternatives
Dr. Marc Kern is the founder of Addiction Alternatives, a California based practice in which he works with a variety of addictions. A proponent of Harm Reduction, Dr. Kern blends his own personal history of alcohol and drug problems and nearly 30 years of experience treating addictions. Today, through his books, "Take Control Now" and "Responsible Drinking", and his speeches to peers and other professionals, Dr. Kern teaches people that addiction is not a life sentence.

What is "cybersex"?

Cybersex is a very interesting sort of phenomenon. Cybersex is sort of a function of the Internet, a function of computers, and sort of things like that. But what it provides is a mechanism that has heretofore never been available. People can communicate and talk with other human beings and fantasize and to discuss sexual content and to engage in a virtual sexual relationship that, at least in their minds, is real. It's not, I don't think we have to worry about AIDS and things like that because there's no physical contact. But the mechanisms and the desires of sex and sexual intimacy and sexual contact can be lived out through the Internet in cybersex.

Are all sexual interactions online unhealthy?

I wouldn't think so. I would in fact envision that down the road a decade from now there would be more normalizing of this sort of interaction, particularly for individuals who live outside of larger communities, the larger cities and things like that. But right now it's been sort of capitalized on by people that are sort of seeking out that sexual arousal, intimacy in a vicarious way, in a safe way. You can't reject me because of the way I look, or how much I weigh, or whatever be. I'm available, you are who I think you are, not really who you are. You could be anybody. But nonetheless, I can live out some of my fantasies, feel good and feel satiated and talk about taboo topics that I couldn't perhaps talk to eye to eye, or something like that.

How are sex addicts affected by Internet pornography and cybersex?

The effect of internet pornography and cybersex on sex addicts is not necessarily negative, but it can be. It is like a lot of different things. The truth is that there is no real, physical, tangible intimacy. There is no real person to person or eye to eye contact. It is all vicarious and virtual. It is all in the mind. If you are living in Alaska, or far from a large city, it might be a very healthy substitution. On the other hand, if it is the exclusive way sex addicts involve themselves intimately, it can end up becoming a predominant way then eventually exclusive way that a sex addict interacts with people and has sexual involvement.

Are women engaged in cybersex?

Women are as equally involved in cybersex as men, maybe even more. For a woman, it's a very dangerous world to be involved in as a woman and to look for a mate, and health and diseases. And what about your body image? And what about being rejected? And things like that. I would imagine that women, in some way, it satisfies a lot more need than you might expect, and actually in a healthy way. In some ways, it's like a romantic novel with someone on the other side.

Can people who are not sex addicts become addicted to online pornography?

Do they have to be classic sex addicts, I don't necessarily think so. I think, though, that cyberspace can be all-consuming, can answer a lot more needs than a real partner can answer, and can become all-consuming, and that would be independent of the actual physicality of a sex addict.

How is an online pornography addiction different from regular pornography addiction?

Online pornography addiction and regular pornography addiction are virtually the same. It's just the medium, the availability that differs; online pornography can be accessed from home, an addict doesn't have to go outside their house. It can be obtained at any time, anywhere with computer access. Time breeds monotony and online pornography addicts can can view images – a vastly greater number of images – directly on their monitor on a website than can be found at the local newsagents on the magazine rack.

What is "pornography addiction"?
Pornography addiciton is just a variant as I would see it, as sexual addiction it's primarly not with a human being. It's with pictures and images and of course the internet plays a big role in the availability of it and it often involves a great expense. I've worked with people who've spent thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars on images. Pornorgraphy of all shapes and sizes. Now there's also subsets of pornography addiction such as, you know... graphic images of children versus graphic images of adults and that is a whole together different sort of domain but there are similarities. But people with pornography addiction do not necessarily do well with a real person. They do well with and objective piece of paper that they can visualize, fantasize about but, they don't have to negotiate all the feelings and thoughts and talk that you might have to do with a real human being.

What are the dangers of pornography addiction?

In the harm reduction model, it is not inappropriate for a pornography addict to look at pornography and spend money on pornography. And the goal would be to spend less and to be involved less. But if someone doesn't really have the skills to interact with another human being, it's, generally speaking, a safe substitute. These people are often lonely, have poor self esteem, can't seem to have the courage to maybe ask a girl to dance or whatever the dynamic is, and this is generally a safe involvement. Now again, it too can get expensive, and spend too much time with that preoccupation, but it's a matter of degree. I don't believe that it needs to be that they don't ever look at another "Playboy" or "Hustler" magazine again.

Truth about Penis Enhancement

Dr. Philip Werthman, FACS
Director, Center for Male Reproductive Medicine
Summary: Dr. Philip Werthman is the most recognized vasectomy reversal surgeon and male fertility specialist in the world. After serving as the chief of urology at Century City Hospital, Dr. Werthman founded the Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Vasectomy Reversal. Dr. Werthman has lectured around the globe, written numerous books and articles and is a clinical assistant professor of Urology at USC School of Medicine.


Are there medications and herbs one can take to increase penis size?

To be very clear about it there is really nothing that effectively increases penis size. All the ads on television and in the magazines that say if you take this herbal medication that it will add inches to your penis are all lies and bogus. If that was the case, I would be taking them. They don't work.

Are there "penis augmentation" surgeries that can increase penis size?

There are certain surgeries that can be done to try to lengthen the penis. Although there's nothing that can be done to actually lengthen the penis, these surgeries make the penis appear longer. These surgeries can have a verity of complications, and most men having these surgeries are not happy with the result.

Andropause or Male Menopause

Dr. Philip Werthman, FACS
Director, Center for Male Reproductive Medicine
Summary: Dr. Philip Werthman is the most recognized vasectomy reversal surgeon and male fertility specialist in the world. After serving as the chief of urology at Century City Hospital, Dr. Werthman founded the Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Vasectomy Reversal. Dr. Werthman has lectured around the globe, written numerous books and articles and is a clinical assistant professor of Urology at USC School of Medicine.

What is "andropause"?

Andropause is the name we give to what is commonly known as male menopause, or the male biological clock. As men get older, their level of testosterone decreases. Their level of sperm decreases. It probably reaches a peek in the teens and early twenties and then in the late twenties or early thirties, there is a gradual decline in the level of testosterone and testicular function. So as men experience this decrease in testosterone, they start undergoing some changes such as decreased desire, decreased drive, decreased lean body mass, decreased energy, decreased ability to focus, lack of mental concentration that go on with normal ageing.

Do all men experience andropause?

Andropause is experienced by different men to different degrees. I have met young men in their thirties who have a drop in their testosterone level as they've gotten older and I've seen men in their seventies and eighties who have absolutely no drop in their testosterone, they're vigorous, they're vital. Those are usually men who take very good care of themselves, who exercise regularly, who continue to work. So while all women experience menopause by the age of 45 to 50, not all men will experience andropause.

How is andropause treated?

Andropause is treated by replacing the male hormones that are now low. And that usually means giving testosterone supplementation. This can be done through a shot of testosterone on a monthly basis. It can be done through a patch that goes on the skin. It can be done through creams or jells that are applied to the hands. It's important for men to know that if they want to have children in the future, they can't take testosterone on a long term basis because it will lower their sperm counts. For those men, there are other ways of increasing testosterone. There are taking shots of the precursor to testosterone, HCG. And that causes the testicle to make more testosterone. There are also other ways of doing this using pills, although those are not really great for long term treatment of this problem.

What are symptoms of andropause?

The symptoms of andropause vary, but the most concerning to men is a symptom of descreased sex drive -- a low libido. It can also result in problems with erection. It can cause depression. It can be a lack of energy or a lack of a sense of well-being. Andropause can be lack of mental acuity or inability to focus at work or doing difficult tasks. So all these things can be due to low testosterone. It can also manifest as low lean muscle mass, or men can put on weight in the midsection and decrease their lean muscle mass in their upper body. This will happen as men go through andropause.

About Male Infertility

Dr. Philip Werthman, FACS
Director, Center for Male Reproductive Medicine
Summary: Dr. Philip Werthman is the most recognized vasectomy reversal surgeon and male fertility specialist in the world. After serving as the chief of urology at Century City Hospital, Dr. Werthman founded the Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Vasectomy Reversal. Dr. Werthman has lectured around the globe, written numerous books and articles and is a clinical assistant professor of Urology at USC School of Medicine.


What is "male infertility"?

The definition of infertility is a couple who have been trying to conceive for a year and has not met with success. Male infertility relates to any problem on the male side of things which includes anything that has to do with sperm numbers or function, anything that has to do with male hormones as it applies to testicular function. What's interesting about male infertility and what's really not known by many people is that the male contributes almost 40 to 50 percent of the cases of infertility. When you look at a break down of contributing factors to infertility, the male is there almost 40 percent of the time as a problem. Almost everybody thinks that fertility is a female issue and that's really not true.

How common is male infertility?

Male infertility is actually quite common. Of all the people trying to conceive that have been unable to do so, approximatley 40% of the cases are responsible in some way to the man. One out of every 8-10 couples experiences difficulties trying to conceive, so if half of those cases are related to the man, then you're talking to 5-10% of the male population may have trouble conceiving with his wife, which is exceptionally common.

What causes infertility in men?

There's a large number of causes or reasons for a man to experience fertility problems. One of the most common things is something called a varicocele, which are varicose veins around the testicle. Other issues could be obstruction or blockages in the reproductive tract. There could be hormonal issues. It could be issues with age, it could be issues with environmental toxin exposure, with heat exposure, with chemicals, with drugs, with prior surgeries. There are a numerous variety of things that can cause damage to the sperm. We are still learning every day about all the different things that can cause fertility problems for men.

What causes blockage of sperm?

There are numerous things that can cause blockage of sperm or blockage of the reproductive track. You can be born with a blockage, a condition called congenital absence of the vas deferens, meaning being born without the spermduct or tube called a “vas,” that a doctor cuts when he performs a vasectomy. The testicles make sperm as normal but the sperm can't be released because there is no tube or no "plumbing" so to speak. Another issue that can cause blockage of the sperm tube is a vasectomy; which is designed to cause a blockage so that a man can't impregnate a woman. He might later change his mind and decide he wants to conceive again. There are issues such as infection, chlamydia and gonorrhea for example, that can cause blockages to the reproductive tract. There can be cysts or disorders of the prostate that also can cause blockages for sperm, so there are numerous things that may cause an obstruction.

What is "varicocele"?

A varicocele is very simple. It is varicose veins around the testicle. Just as many people as they get older get varicose veins around their legs, many can get varicose veins around the testicle. They are normally a series of several veins that take the blood from the testicle and return it to the body. These veins have one way valves in them so that when you sit up or stand up the blood does not run down with gravity toward the lowest area of the body.If these one way valves don't work then what you have essentially is a vein that is supposed to be a one way street that becomes a two way street. The blood then is allowed to pool around the testicle and can cause damage to the testicle and damage to the sperm production.

How is varicocele treated?

Vericocele is usually treated with surgery. It's a very tiny surgery, outpatient, where a doctor can go in microsurgically and block the veins, stop the abnormal flow of blood back down to the testicle. There are also a variety of other treatments. This can be done laparoscopically. It can also be done radiologically, through a procedure called embolization, where a doctor would go in with a little catheter through one of the big veins in the leg, and snake this catheter into the vein of the testicle and then block the vein from the inside. As opposed to doing it surgically, where you block it from the outside by putting a tie around it, here you put little balloons or coils in that cause the vein to clot off and stop the abnormal blood flow. What's been clear over the last few years is the best way to do this is microsurgically, because it offers the best results, the best chances of success, with the least amount of complications.

What is "oligospermia"?

Oligospermia is a term we use to describe low sperm count. So the World Health Organization came up with parameters for semen analysis that they call normal and it's a big range. For men, the range is anywhere from 2 million sperm per cc, up to over 12 million sperm per cc. So you can see that's a very large range. Any time the sperm count is consistently under 2 million we call that Oligospermia.

What is "azoospermia"?

PhAzoospermia is the term we use to describe the condition where there is no sperm present in the semen and this can be for a variety of different reasons. Number one, someone could be making sperm normally in his testicles but has a blockage so the sperm can't get out into the semen or number two, there can be a problem with sperm production in the testicles such that the man is making no sperm whatoever or very, very small amounts of sperm so small in fact that you don't see any sperm in the semen even though they are present in the testicle. The good thing about azoospermia is that the majority of men can now become fathers through in vitro fertilization or through correction of blockages whereas ten or fifteen years ago this was an impossibility. So reproductive technology has advanced so much in the last ten years that very few men can no longer be genetic fathers.

What therapies are available to improve male fertility?

There are a variety of different things that someone can do to improve their fertility, but before you start with improving your fertility we need to test fertility by doing several semen analyses, and if those are abnormal there are a variety of other tests that could or should be done to try to diagnose the problem. So, number one diagnosis, number two treatment for the specific problem, and number three general therapy, which includes modification of lifestyle: staying out of hot tubs and jacuzzis, it means eating healthy, it means taking certain supplements that can help improve the sperm, so it's a variety of different things. It means stopping smoking, it means limiting alcohol intake; all these things are potentially bad for sperm.

What is "assisted reproduction"?

Assisted reproduction is any technique or technology that we use short of natural conception, and it includes intrauterine insemination or sperm washing or IUI, or the turkey baster as it's commonly known. Other assisted reproductive technologies include in vitro fertilization, which means the fertilization is not done in the woman's body, it's done in the lab in a Petri dish.

What is "electroejaculation"?

Electroejaculation is a technique that's used to treat men with a condition called anejaculation, where they're unable to have an orgasm and an ejaculation. This is usually due to a few different types of conditions. Number one, it could be due to a spinal cord injury, where a man had, his spinal cord is severed so the signal from the brain to get to the testicles and the penis to tell them to ejaculate does not go through. It, it's also seen in some men with diabetes, or men who've had different types of surgery and, and the retroperineum, the area behind the abdomen, where the nerves that control ejaculation are, some surgeries can damage those nerves. So in men who can't ejaculate, what happens is, there is a device that is an electrostimulator that is applied to the back of the prostate and by passing current to those muscles it actually causees those muscles to contract in an ejaculation to ensue.

What is "sperm retrieval"?

Sperm retrieval describes a series of techniques used to obtain sperm from the testicle in men who are azoaspermic, or don't have sperm in the ejaculate.

What is "sperm washing"?

Sperm washing is a technique that we use in the laboratory, where a man provides a semen sample and we go ahead and let that liquefy because semen comes out as a gel like substance and over a half an hour to 45 minutes, enzymes that are derived from the prostate, actually cause that gel to liquefy. We let the sperm swim out and we're able to separate the moving sperm from the non moving sperm. We then put it in a centrifuge. To do that we decant off the dead sperm, we take the live moving sperm and we suspend it in a very small amount, a half a cc or a half a milliliter of culture media that supports the sperm with nutritional fluids. That half a cc is then loaded up into a little catheter and is placed inside a womans uterus.

What is "Intracytoplasmic sperm injection"?

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection or ICSI as it is known, is a technique of advanced reproductive technology, and it's a technique of in vitro fertilization. The sperm are taken into the lab, the eggs are retrieved from a woman's ovaries after she goes to a series of fertility treatments, and under a microscope a single sperm is picked up in a very, very tiny needle and is then directly injected directly into the cytoplasm inside of the egg, allowing it to fertilize.

What types of drugs are used to treat male infertility?

Most of the drugs are hormonal based therapies. Meaning if a man has a hormone problem those hormones can be supplemented or replaced to try and improve their sperm counts and the quality of their sperm. In some men we try a medicine called clomid which women frequently use for fertility problems and sometimes that helps improve the numbers of sperm they produce many times it does not. There are a variety of other medications that can be used but they are also situational specific if a man has a prostate infection or a urinary tract infection that can be causing damage to the sperm then treating that person with the appropriate antibiotics can help.

What surgeries are performed to treat male infertility?

There are a variety of different surgeries designed to treat male infertility, but they're based on, and broken down into, three different categories. Number one is the treatment of varicocele or varicose veins around the testicle, and there are several different procedures to block those veins; to block the abnormal blood flow and stop damage to the testicle, so that the testicle can make sperm that are in bigger quantities. The other type of surgery that is done for male infertility is microsurgery to relieve a blockage in either a man who has had a vasectomy and wants it reversed, or in someone who has a blockage either in their epididymis, or in their vas, from either an infection or other types of surgery. The last types of surgery that we do to treat male infertility are sperm retrieval techniques for men who have a condition called azoospermia, where we're able to go into the testicle or the epididymis and get the sperm directly out from there by doing a small, outpatient, microsurgical procedure. Those sperm are then used in combination with in vitro fertilisation and ICSI, where we take the sperm, and then we inject the sperm directly into an egg

Is male fertility affected by stress?
I believe male infertility can be impacted by stress. We see that sperm counts can fluctuate over time, and fluctuate with the environment the man is in, with what he ingests, with the condition of his sleep cycle, so certainly stress can affect sperm production in some way. What it is not is consistent among different men, because different men handle stressors differently, and their bodies handle sperm production differently.

Does stress actually reduce sperm counts?

Depends on what the actual stress is as to whether it reduces sperm count. Is there only the stress of an infection, or the stress of surgery, or is the body mounting it's resources to try to heal some other area or to fight off an infection? If it is any of those things, the body will not be paying its greatest attention to making sperm at that point. This is part of the fight or fight response, where the body, smart enough to know when it is in danger, needs to go into protective mode. So all non-essential functions are reduced in their efficiency. I think that can happen with sperm production as well.

What are the emotional consequences associated with infertility and impotence?

There are a variety of emotional responses that men can have to either being diagnosed as infertile or being impotent or having inability to perform when needed. Those go from anywhere of denial to feelings of low self worth to feelings of not being what we consider a man. Or not being able to satisfy or please his partner or not being able to give his partner a child. It can lead to depression; it can lead to problems with relationships, a strain on a marriage, a strain on a sexual relationship. So, all these things really affect a man's sense of well-being, a man's sense of worth, the happiness of a relationship, they can have profound effects. But the good thing about this is that many of these problems are easily treated and men don't have to suffer silently with any of these conditions.

Problems on Ejaculation

Dr. Philip Werthman, FACS
Director, Center for Male Reproductive Medicine
Summary: Dr. Philip Werthman is the most recognized vasectomy reversal surgeon and male fertility specialist in the world. After serving as the chief of urology at Century City Hospital, Dr. Werthman founded the Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Vasectomy Reversal. Dr. Werthman has lectured around the globe, written numerous books and articles and is a clinical assistant professor of Urology at USC School of Medicine.


What is "premature ejaculation"?

Premature ejaculation is a condition where the man has an orgasm before he wants to, or before pleasing his partner. In terms of absolute time, it could be anywhere from under five minutes to specifically under one to two minutes, and it can be distressing to both the male and female partners when this condition occurs.

What causes premature ejaculation?

Premature ejaculation can be caused by a variety of things. It could be a psychological issue, it could be a sensitivity issue. There are probably a variety of reasons that cause it that we don't even know about yet.

How can premature ejaculation be treated?

There are several techniques to treat premature ejaculation. For some men it's decreasing the sensativity, so it's, perhaps, wearing a condom may delay ejaculation. For other men it's using a numbing jelly like lidocaine cream that can decrease sensation of the glans and prolong ejaculation. For other men it's using what's called the sqeeze technique, when they feel like they're about to ejaculate, they pull out and they squeeze and that can delay ejaculation. But, right now, the main stay of premature ejaculation therapy is really using medications. There are a number of medications that belong to the class of drugs known as anti-depressants that can delay or retard ejaculation and thereby it may actually prolong or double the time that someone who ejaculates prematurely can maintain an erection for intercourse.

What is "retrograde ejaculation"?

Retrograde ejaculation is a condition where, when a man ejaculates, instead of the semen coming out through the end of the penis, it actually runs back into bladder. If you look at the male reproductive tract and its anatomy, the sperm come up through the vas deferens and then run through the ejaculatory ducts and the prostate, which is part of the male urethra. The prostate is right next to the bladder. It's probably about a centimeter or two centimeters from the bladder. The penile urethra is usually six to eight centimeters in length, so the path of least resistance for the semen to go is actually back into the bladder, and that is retrograde ejaculation.

What causes retrograde ejaculation?

The causes of retrograde ejaculation are any issues that affect the function of the sphincter at the neck of the bladder. This could be caused by prostate surgery, as it's common when men have prostate surgery for the neck of the bladder to be scraped to facilitate urination, and while scraping this out, muscles that are part of the sphincter are scraped out as well. It used to be very common for men post-surgery to experience retrograde ejaculation. Retrograde ejaculation can also be caused by neurologic conditions. Anything that affects the nerves of the spinal chord in the sacral and lumbar region, and also the nerves that eminate from the spinal chord and go to the prostate and the bladder. Those conditions most commonly include spinal chord injury, abdominal surgery, colon surgery and surgery for testicular cancer. Some men with diabetes will have the problem of the diabetes causing damage to the nerves that control ejaculation and can therefore end up suffering from retrograde ejaculation.

How is retrograde ejaculation treated?

There are several different ways of treating retrograde ejaculation. One is to have the man urinate the sperm out of the bladder. And then the sperm are washed. They're taken out of the urine. The urine is alkalinized by having the man take something like Alka Seltzer or bicarbonate prior, because very acidic urine will kill the sperm. And once those sperm are washed, they can be used for insemination. Certain drugs can be used to help close that sphincter. Certainly in men who have diabetes, and some men who have spinal cord injuries, we use a medication like Sudafed, and that causes those muscles to contract, closing the sphincter. In severe cases of retrograde ejaculation where sperm of good quality can't be obtained through these other means, we can go into the testicle, take the sperm out, and use those sperm with in vitro fertilization.

What is "anorgasmia"?

Anorgasmia is a condition whereby a man is unable to have an orgasm. Usually anorgasmia is psycological condition.

What is "delayed ejaculation"?

Delayed ejaculation is a condition where a man has trouble ejaculating but can ejaculate over a period of time. This can be 15 minutes, a half an hour, an hour, so this is very variable between different men. It's usually due to psychological causes, where the man has decreased sensitivity in the penis and is unable to ejaculate because of that, or through other psychological issues, where they're unable to let go and release and just experience an orgasm.

How is anorgasmia treated?

Anorgasmia is usually treated with psychological counseling or sex therapy.

What causes low libido?

Low libido can be caused by a variety of different things. It can be caused by a low level of the male hormone testosterone. Testosterone, which is made in the testicles, is really the chemical by which a man has sex drive and is aggressive. If testosterone is low, then a man may experience symptoms of lack of desire for sex. Other things include stress, being tired, being overworked, depression; unhealthy lifestyle, being overweight, obese. Some men, a high level of estrogen in their body, even though their testosterone may be normal, can also cause low libido, because it's the balance between testosterone and estrogen in a man's body that affects both sperm production and also libido issues.

How is low libido treated?

Low libido is treated in a variety of different ways. Number one is to assess a man's hormone levels, hormonal status and check his testosterone level and his free testosterone level--which is the part of the testosterone that we call bio-available that's seen by the actual cells in the body. These are two different measurements. If a man has low testosterone then there are a variety of different ways of supplementing testosterone to raise his back to the normal level which should increase his desire and sex drive. For men who have unhealthy lifestyles. . . smoke too much, who are obese, clearly making lifestyle changes, changing their their bad habits can help affect a man's libido. Certainly, we know that when men start working out their testosterone levels increase, their level of estrogen decreases and that can give them a sense of well-being, a sense of better body image and also a sense of sexual desire and increased drive.